Variable speed electric generators in particular for automobile vehicles



Nov. 5, 1957 B R. MENNESSON 2 812,458

VARIABLE SPEED ELECTRIC GENERATORS IN PARTICULAR FOR AUTOMOBILE VEHICLES Filed June 22, 1956 INVEN TOR 521W far/z Wwzresm BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent VARIABLE SPEED ELECTRIC GENERATORS IN PARTICULAR FOR AUTOMOBILE VEHICLES Bernard Ren Mennesson, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, assignor to Societe dAppareils de Controle et dEquipement des Moteurs S. A. C. E. M., Neuilly-sur-Seine (Seine), France, a society of France Application June 22, 1956, Serial No. 593,223

Claims priority, application France June 25, 1955 4 Claims. (Cl. 310-153) The present invention relates to variable speed electric generators and it is more particularly but not exclusively concerned with such generators as used on automobile vehicles, and more especially motor cycles, for engine ignition and/or vehicle lighting.

The chief object of this invention is to provide a generator of this kind which is better adapted to meet the requirements of practice than those known up to this time and in particular such that the voltage of the current that is supplied is relatively little influenced by variations of the speed of rotation of the generator.

Such an electric generator essentially comprises a rotating permanent magnet inductor system and an armature.

According to my invention, it includes at least one resilient magnetic element deformable in response to variations of the centrifugal force applied thereto so as to reduce the magnetic flux acting upon said armature when the speed at which said inductor system is rotating increases and vice versa, as hereinafter described.

A preferred embodiment of my invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the appended drawing given merely by way of example and in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view on the line II of Fig. 2 of an electric generator made according to the invention, Fig. 1 further showing the armature which is not shown by Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line II-II of Fig. l, the armature being removed; in both of Figs. 1 and 2, the parts occupy the position corresponding to low speeds of rotation of the generator.

Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views showing portions of the structure of Fig. 1, the parts being shown in the positions corresponding to high speeds of rotation of the generator.

The electric generator illustrated by the drawing is of the type sometimes called magnetic fly-wheel such as used on motor cycles.

This generator includes a rotating permanent magnet inductor system forming the rotor and an armature sta tionary in a fixed support and forming the stator, this armature being constituted by windings for supplying with current the ignition spark plug or plugs of the vehicle and the lighting means of the vehicle.

As it is known, the voltage of the current supplied by a conventional magnetic fiy-wheel increases when the number of revolutions per minute of the rotor increases, said number being proportional to the speed of the engine or of the vehicle.

Now, on the one hand, in order to obtain a satisfactory working of the ignition means, the voltage must be as high as possible for low speeds of the engine so as to facilitate starting thereof, but this voltage should not be too high at high speeds of the engine.

On the other hand, to have a good lighting system, the voltage should not vary too much so as to avoid subjecting the light bulbs to high voltages at high speeds and to obtain a sufficient lighting at low speeds.

The object of the present invention is to make the voltage obtained as little variable as possible.

For this purpose, the rotating inductor system of the generator includes at least one resilient magnetic element arranged to be deformed in response to variations of the centrifugal force applied thereto so as to reduce the magnetic flux acting upon the armature when the speed of rotation of the inductor system increases and vice versa.

This deformation of a magnetic element of the inductor may for instance be arranged so as to modify the air gap between the inductor magnets and the cores of the armature windings.

It may also be used to modify the section afforded to the passage of the magnetic lines of force through said element.

In the example illustrated by the drawing, both of these effects are used.

The rotor includes a body 1 made of a non-magnetic material, for instance zinc molded under pressure, such body 1 being connected by radial arms 2 with a hub 3 fixed on a driving shaft. The external periphery of hub 3 is given the shape of a cam so as to cooperate with a contact opening device 4 carried by the stator.

The inductor system includes four flat magnets 5 preferably of the ferrite type having their north-south directions at right angles to their surfaces of largest area, the north-south direction of one magnet being toward the hub and that of the next magnet away therefrom. Said magnets are grouped in two pairs and the two magnets of each pair are connected together by magnetic bridging members 6 extending over the outer peripheral end faces of said magnets. Each magnet is also provided with an inner pole piece 7 also made of a magnetic material and intended to facilitate a regular passage of the magnetic flux toward the armature. Magnets 5, extending between members 6 and pole piece 7 are assembled together by means of screws 8.

The armature system includes two windings or coils 9, wound on cores the heads or ends 10 of which have their external surfaces in the form of portions of a cylinder having a diameter just a little smaller than that along which are disposed the inner face of pole pieces 7, so as to leave an air gap e between said core heads 10 and said pole pieces 7 (Fig. 3).

According to the present invention, the magnetic bridging members 6 are secured exclusively by their middle parts to rotor 1 and the characteristics of these elements 6 (nature of the magnetic metal of which they are made, cross section, and so on) are determined in such manner that for speeds of the rotor above a predetermined value, the centrifugal force acting thereon resiliently deforms the ends of said members 6 so as to increase the air gap which then becomes e (Fig. 3).

For this purpose, each of the magnetic bridging members 6 is secured to the body 1 of the rotor by a single element such as a screw 11. Furthermore, preferably, as shown by the drawing, this screw 11 passes through a portion of the magnetic bridging member 6 which is made thinner than the remainder of said member due to the provision of a recess 12 in said part of member 6. The corresponding arm 2 of the rotor carrie at its end a block 13 of a magnetic material which fits exactly in said recess 12 when member 6 is in its position of rest, screw 11 extending through said block 13.

Advantageously, in order to limit the deformations of the magnetic bridging members 6, the body 1 of the rotor is provided with projections 14 extending between the ends of said magnetic bridging members 6 and of pole pieces 7.

Such an electric generator works as follows.

When the engine of the vehicle is started, and at low speeds thereof, every pole piece7 passes at a minimum distance e from the ends of the cores of windings 10, this distance being fixed by- ,the normal tolerances possila wzmach na. Bash-ma neti r g n member 6 is bearing at its end ,upon, the ,projectionsifl lldue. to the fact-that said members 6,,are slightly. prev-stressed Whenthe speed at which the rotor is rotating increases, the. -centrifugal forcedev'elopedin masses 5, 6 and 7. inv creases and urge thernoutwardly. For a given speed, the ends/of magnetic bridging members 6' cease. to ,be n ot tast w h proj ct ons o eq t y t a r gap between pole pieces 7 and the core heads increases (Fig-:3). ehtedu ese h fl x in ates h o h every i 3i he f9matiQn; fir-ah: nnec in p f esefi l take place by rotation about fixationgserew ll and, as soon as -the ends of said member 6 ,leave projections. 14, a apei appean tw en e loc 3 emb ri which further reduces the flux transmitted betweenthe t o a nets 5; f ashna r When the speed reaches a given valuerand exceeds t. he-r ads ft-.1 91; misse 7 c m o. ea u oner iect asl o here a, i hmi s e incr e e ti t e ai sea nd. p events any sib tx t th a ma; id in .membersfiw e ua o In apgeneral manner, while I have, in the above description, disclosed whattl deem to be. a practical and tfipi nt em odime t f my ve n ,0 .l. d understood that I dg not wish to be limitedthereto as h e. mi ht e; hae e -m de inthe a em sposition; and form of the parts :without departing from he p i c le o heesent v nt n as qm e e ded i nt ec pe f the appe ded m atlcla ms;

1. An eleetric generator which comprises, in combina: tion; an armature including at least twocores fixed with respect to eaeh other said cores having at theirends outer peripheral faces in'the, form of portions of surfaces of olution abouta-cwmen ax s and ndi s di po ed aEOUnd the portions of said cores intermediate between said ends thereof, and a rotating inductor system. in.- lud a uhr t t b1 abo t d. a at eas o a of a non-magnetic material extendingradially from said hub, at least two pairs of magnets, each of said magnets havi g h haped a. flat o y. ed, y wo rsurf s at least substantially-parallel andcoaxial to said core Pe iphe al a es, nd s ro ndin h m e or ho h direction of each of said magnets being perpendieular to saidlsurfae sa here f and ei g-to ardcs zti stqrt m net and way-fromsaid a is is: he ne magnet the arc over-which; hemea nets ofa pa r x en i ut said-axis be n ubs a t a lye ua .l q he n; bo t-wh thei peripheral faee of one core extends, a common re.- silient magnet br d in membe ex ea ing e w en he ends of .the.two magnets, of each pair substantially along one-of .said surfaces whichlimit said two last mentioned magnets, each of said resilient magnetic bri ging 31: bers forming the only support ofeach pair of magnets and being fixed-to one of said arms respectively, atthe middle part of said magnetic bridging member exclusive,- 1y, whereby an increase in the speed at which said inductor syste m, is rotating about saidaxis causes saidresilient magnetic bridging members to be deformed outwardly and thus to increase the air gap between said 5 ma n ts an id ores, respec iv y-I 2. An electric generator which comprises, in combination, an armature including at least two cores fixed with respect to each other, said cores having at their ends outer peripheral faces in the form of portions of surfaces of revolution about a commonjaxis, and windings dispps ds roun l hapo ions o d ores t rme ate e: e n said en hcteof' n a tat u o s st including a hub rotatable about said axis, at least two arms ofa non-magneticimaterial extending radially frorn saidhub, at:1east.-two pairs ofrnagnets, each of said mag-nets'having the shape of a flat-body limited by two surfaces at least substantially parallel and coaxial to said coreperipheral faces and surrounding them, the north-south direction of each of said magnets being perpendiculanto said surfaces thereof and being toward said axis for one magnet and away from said axis for the next magnet, the are over which the two magnets of a; a r; a s-a b9u 4 ai x s ein sub ta t a equ he are abo t hich; h pe e l a e of ne as a a; amm n; es l ma t bridging; mem er eatead ai etween t e en of hen t of gash pair substantially along that of said coaxial surfaces mi in aid; wo ast I ment n m n which s the utsi eroi he cri e h of Sa resilient etrid inse embe s forming e Q up t f east! pa r; at m aetsand be n fi ed to n of i a are? nee e yrat he m ddlet i d magnetic br member exelu ely, whereby anincrease in the speed at which said inductor system is rotating about saidaxis canses said resilient magnetic bridging members to be deformed outwardly and thu to increase the air gap between saidmagnetsand said cores, respectively, each of said-radial arms ,ineluding, at the end thereof where is sec dihemiddlepart of one of said resilient magnetic bridging mernbers, a rounded block of a magnetic mate: ria l, and the-inner face of said middle part of said ref. silient magnetio bridging memberbeing provided with a; reeess in whiehsaid block is fitting when said resilient magneti bridging .rnemberis at rest, the contacting sur: faces of; saidblock andsaid resilient magneticbridging member being shaped so that the total cross section for the passagepf magneticlines of force through said block andt no t qn of aid la t en e magnetic gin member in contact therewith decreases when said;last mentionedmagnetic bridging member is deformed outwardly in response to anincrease vof the speed atwhich saidjnductor system is rotating. and vice versa,

3. An electric generator according to claim 2 in which said bloelr; has its outer face at least approximately in the shapeof a portion of a sphere, the inner face of said resilieut-magneticbridging member being provided with a-rece og-the same shapeand curvature when said pole pi ee i uaqef mei sa resilient magnetic, i g member being secured to said block at arpoint located atthe centerofsaid recess and at the central point of said hlock, outer surface.

Ane s r c en a or c in o m. 1 f rther including cooperating means carried by the ends of each pair-of magnets and by said hub respectively for limiting the displacements of said magnets with respect to said hub both inwardly and outwardly;

References Cited in the file. of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,921,841 Roberts Aug. s, 1933 

